


Broken Vows

by flewintotheice



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-19
Updated: 2013-02-19
Packaged: 2017-11-29 20:42:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/691244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flewintotheice/pseuds/flewintotheice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the sequel for “To See Your Face Again”. It’s a little dark at times, but it’s all about the bonds forged between two people and whether or not such vows can remain intact or will be irretrievably broken. Major character deaths ahead.*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Vows

The child had been stillborn. Kara lay in the hospital bed; her eyes  
shut tightly, tears streaming down her beautiful face. For eight months  
she had carried the child, a boy, and when the early contractions had  
started, Helo had been on board Galactica and still hadn’t made it back  
in time. It was Lee who had come to the house, found Kara doubled over  
in pain and unable to move and had gotten her to the hospital. The  
doctor later told him that, if he hadn’t brought her in, she would have  
bled to death at home. Lee had put in the call to Galactica and had  
spoken to Helo and told him what had happened. Helo should have been on  
the next transport home, but that was almost ten hours ago now. Lee sat  
in a chair inside Kara’s room, but didn’t talk. She needed quiet. She  
needed to get the tears out of her system. She had to decide about  
whether or not she wanted a burial for the child.

Lee’s thoughts were a blur in his mind. So much loss after the end of  
the war. He’d lost Kara when he’d decided to pursue politics. He’d lost  
his father to old age and Commander Tigh had died of a heart attack  
while still in command of the Galactica. Now Kara had lost her child and  
he wondered if she’d ever recover. The door to the room opened slowly  
and Lee looked up to find Helo, still in flight gear, looking into the  
room. His gaze met Lee’s as the President of the Colonies stood and  
walked over to the door. The two men walked out into the hall, but Lee  
left the door open a little in case Kara called out to them.

“What happened?” Helo asked fearfully.

“She started having contractions and she called me at the office since  
she doesn’t have a direct line to Galactica at the house. It took me an  
hour to get to the house, but by the time I got there, she was in so  
much pain she could barely move. I brought her in and the docs took her  
from me immediately. She might have bled to death if she hadn’t called  
me, Karl. I’m sorry, but the child was still born.” Helo looked like he  
was going to pass out for a moment and Lee reached out to grab his arm.  
Helo grabbed back and for a moment they stood in silence then Helo  
looked back up at Lee.

“How is she?” Lee sighed softly.

“She hasn’t said a word since they brought her into the private room.  
That was about seven hours ago now. She just lies there, alternating  
between sleeping and crying. They let her hold the baby; she asked for  
him. I think, perhaps, she’d do better if she knew you were in there  
with her.” Helo nodded and walked past Lee and into the room. He walked  
over to the side of the bed and sat there, taking her hand in his. She  
opened her eyes slowly and, upon seeing him at her side, burst into  
tears once more. Helo gathered her into his arms and held her tightly,  
letting her cry and finally crying himself. Lee closed the door to the  
room, giving them the privacy they both desperately needed.

/(Two years earlier – after Admiral Adama’s funeral)/

Lee and Kara had gone back to Lee’s Presidential suites after the  
funeral. It had been a hard day on them both and neither of them had  
wanted to be alone. Lee knew Kara was prone to getting drunk and thrown  
into the brig if he left her to herself tonight. Kara was worried that  
Lee would drink himself into a case of alcohol poisoning and she didn’t  
think she could handle his death just yet. So, they sat on a sofa in the  
living room of his apartments, drinking quietly together, watching the  
sunset through the large open window.

“Gods, I’m going to miss him,” Lee said quietly, as he unbuttoned his  
dress jacket and threw it into a nearby chair. Next to him, Kara  
unbuttoned her own dress jacket and did the same.

“We both will, Lee,” she answered, turning to face him, brushing the  
hair out of her eyes. She really needed to get it cut again. She just  
hadn’t found the time to do so.

“If I hadn’t fracked up with you, we’d have been married by now… maybe  
we could have given him a grandchild to see… the knowledge that his  
family wasn’t going to die off.” Kara nodded slowly.

“I shouldn’t have taken off like I did when you made your intentions  
known about being Vice President. I should have known you’d be able to  
take care of yourself. But I was scared. I know, it’s not an excuse, and  
I’m sorry.” Lee shook his head and turned to look at her, brushing his  
fingers down the side of her face. He opened his arms and she went into  
them and they lay there on the sofa in each other’s arms.

“Don’t apologize, Kara. Don’t ever apologize to me. You know I will  
always love you. You know I will always be here for you, no matter  
what.” Kara sniffled and the tears finally came. For a moment, Lee was  
relieved. She hadn’t cried since the day in the hospital and he’d been  
worried about her. He wrapped his arms around her more tightly and  
kissed the top of her head. “Stay,” he whispered softly as the sun  
finally disappeared beyond the horizon and the living room grew dark.

“Okay,” she answered quietly. Lee kissed the top of her head again and  
this time she looked up at him. He slid his hands up along her back and  
then to the sides of her face before he leaned up and kissed her softly.  
Kara moved just a little to get closer to him and he took that as an  
invitation to deepen the kiss they were sharing. One of his hands stole  
into her hair and held her head as he continued kissing her. His other  
hand slid back down along her side to her back, pulling on the white  
t-shirt she’d been wearing underneath her dress uniform. On of her hands  
slid up his side and under his t-shirt as well. The kiss moved from  
gentle into one of demand and need and Kara broke the kiss first, her  
eyes meeting Lee’s.

“Not here,” she whispered softly. Lee shook his head and pushed them  
both up into sitting positions. He stood and took her hand, pulling her  
up to stand next to him. He led her from the living room into his  
bedroom. He turned just a little and began kissing her once more,  
backing her towards the edge of his bed. She let her hands slide up  
under his shirt to his chest and then she was pulling the shirt over his  
head and letting it drop to the floor. Lee followed suit, pulling her  
shirt from her body and dropping it next to his on the floor. The kiss  
continued and Kara could feel the backs of her legs hitting the edge of  
his bed. Lee’s hands went to her waist and he lifted, setting her on the  
edge of his bed, leaning over her, bracing his hands on either side of  
her body on the bed, still kissing her passionately. Her hands dropped  
to the waistband of his pants and began fumbling with the belt. He  
pulled away from her long enough to undo the belt but the she pulled him  
back to her and he bent down and kissed the side of her neck while she  
worked at undoing his dress pants.

“Need some help?” he asked jokingly. Kara chuckled softly and managed to  
finally get the pants undone. She pushed them over his hips and they  
fell to the ground and he stepped out of them just as she pushed him  
away long enough to rid herself of the rest of her clothing. Lee looked  
up as she did this and his eyes burned through hers as if he could see  
all the way into her very soul. She reached up and slid her hand down  
the side of his face and then to the back of his neck pulling him  
against her as he pushed her back against the bed, kissing her once more  
even as his hands left a fiery trail across her body.

Later, as they lay in each other’s arms, they would both wonder at how  
long such a peace between them could possibly last…

/(Present day – Kobol City)/

They had buried the child in the same cemetery where William Adama and  
Saul Tigh were both buried. Lee had stood to Kara’s left, Karl to her  
right, during the entire service. There were many people at the funeral,  
from Galactica and from the Academy. Even Chief Tyrol had found his way  
off Galactica and into the city in time for the funeral, even if he did  
have to report back that same afternoon. Lee had not seen the Chief in  
several years. Karl’s son, Connor, now almost eight years old, had been  
left with the Chief’s foster daughter, Lilly, back on Galactica. None of  
them thought that a funeral was anything a child should be put through.  
Lee glanced at Kara out of the corner of his eye. She was standing  
there, just as stoically as she’d stood at the funerals for his brother  
and father. Karl, on the other hand, was falling apart even though he  
was trying his best to hold it together. Chief stood next to Karl and  
the older man was seemingly a comfort to the grieving father. They all  
watched as the priestess gave the final blessing and the small casket  
was lowered into the ground. Lee noticed the fine trimmer starting in  
Kara’s hands and he reached out and took her hand in his, holding it  
tightly. It was a move that went unnoticed by just about everyone nearby.

After the funeral service, people began coming forward, slowly and  
quietly, hugging Kara, shaking hands with Karl, expressing their  
sympathy for the loss of their child. Chief Tyrol’s other adopted child,  
Boxey, was at the funeral simply because he was now old enough to be at  
the Academy. He hugged Kara; shook hands with Karl then hugged the man  
who’d become his father over the past seven years. Lee’s security  
detail, thankfully, had given him as much space as they could during the  
actual service, but now they began to close in on him again. It was one  
of the few things he hated about his Presidency. The crowds finally  
thinned out until the only ones left were Kara, Karl, Chief, and Lee.  
Kara finally turned to Lee.

“Thank you,” she whispered softly as he hugged her tightly. “For  
everything.” Lee nodded and kissed the top of her forehead.

“I’ll always be here, Kara. No matter what.” She nodded and Lee looked  
over her at Karl who was talking with Tyrol then back down at Kara. “How  
much leave does Karl have before he has to go back to Galactica?” Kara  
looked up at him and frowned slightly. Lee’s eyes narrowed just a  
little. “Right. Well, listen. You call me if you need anything. You’ve  
got the direct number to my office and to the my apartments so if you  
need me, call me, okay?” Kara nodded but there was still a slight frown  
on her face. Lee leaned down and kissed her on the forehead then turned  
and looked at Karl as he walked over. Lee extended his hand and Karl  
took it, giving the President a sad smile.

“Thank you for being here, Sir,” he said quietly. “And for saving Kara’s  
life. If you hadn’t gotten there in time…” The unfinished thought was  
‘I’d be burying my wife and child’. Lee knew neither one of them would  
have survived such a funeral. Lee just nodded and then released his hold  
on Karl’s hand.

“Take care, Karl. And like I told Kara, if either of you need anything,  
you know how to get in touch with me.” Karl nodded almost absently and  
Lee sighed softly. “I’ll come by in a couple of days if that’s all right.”

“Yes, of course,” Karl answered almost automatically. Lee nodded and  
looked up as Chief Tyrol approached and waited for him. Lee looked back  
at Karl and Kara.

“Well, I’ll be going. I’ll see you both in a couple of days.” He gave  
Kara one last glance then turned and walked over to Chief Tyrol. The  
Chief held out his hand and Lee shook it, giving the Chief a smile then  
the two of them began walking back to their respective vehicles. “I  
understand Karl is going to be assigned to Galactica,” Lee said quietly.  
Chief nodded but he didn’t look too happy about it.

“He asked for the assignment about a month ago. Said he was getting land  
sick, so to speak. Missed being in the air. He just isn’t cut out for  
teaching, or so he says.” Lee nodded slightly.

“When is he expected back on board?”

“That’s the damnedest thing right there, Sir,” Chief said almost  
angrily. “He wants to go back there tomorrow. We’re leaving Kobol’s  
orbit day after tomorrow for a nine-month training missing. I mean, he  
could take the normal ten days of mourning leave and then take a Raptor  
to catch up with us. Why the hell would someone leave their wife the day  
after they just buried their child!” They stopped walking and Lee  
watched Tyrol let out a heavy sigh and shake his head. “Sorry, Sir. I  
didn’t mean to get so upset.”

“Better you than me, Chief. I wouldn’t be as calm as you.” Tyrol looked  
up at Lee then and noticed that the normally calm President was anything  
but calm at that moment. He was holding back his anger by a very thin  
thread that seemed to be rapidly fraying at the edges. “Apparently he  
hasn’t even told Kara that he’s been assigned to Galactica. I said  
something about him going back and she looked at me like I’d lost my mind.”

“Which also means that he hasn’t told her that he’s the new CAG for  
Galactica either. Your old man would’ve made him stay here with her.”  
Lee nodded and sighed softly.

“Dad wouldn’t have ever let him back on Galactica to begin with, Chief.  
He knew what that kind of life would do to Kara. He saw firsthand what  
it did to my mother and brother. He wouldn’t have put Kara through that.  
Well, listen, Chief. Just keep him in one piece, would you? Kara’s  
already buried a fiancée, a father figure and a child. I don’t want her  
burying a husband.” Chief Tyrol nodded.

“I’ll do my best, Sir.” Lee smiled and held out his hand to Tyrol who  
took it firmly in his own.

“You always have, Chief.” Lee turned and walked to his own vehicle, his  
security detail following close behind him. In the distance, back near  
the new grave, Tyrol noticed Kara and Karl arguing. He thought about  
going back over there, but decided it would be best for them to get this  
over with now. He shook his head then climbed into his own vehicle and  
headed out of the cemetery.

Kara looked up at Karl in shock.

“What do you mean you’re going back to Galactica? I thought your trip up  
there was purely research.” Karl sighed heavily and paced the area in  
front of the grave.

“Don’t you miss flying, Kara? Don’t you miss being on a battlestar,  
being able to shoot out of that tube and into the skies like you own it  
all?”

“They’re making you CAG, aren’t they?” She asked quietly. Karl nodded.

“It’s a promotion in all the right ways, Kara. They’re making me CAG and  
promoting me to Major. I was your Deputy for two years after they made  
Adama a Major and put him in CIC. It’s a nine-month training mission.  
When we get back, I’ll only be up there during the days and then back  
down here in the evenings. There’s one training mission per year and  
they won’t all be this long and most of them won’t even be beyond our  
own system.” Kara sighed softly and shook her head. She wiped a hand  
across her eyes then looked back up at her husband.

“When do you have to leave?”

“Tonight. We leave orbit the day after tomorrow.” Kara didn’t seem to  
hear anything else after that. She remembered all the times William  
Adama had told his wife and children the same things when they’d been  
growing up. She remembered the sadness in Illyana’s eyes when William  
would leave. She remembered how angry Lee would get and how quiet Zak  
would be for the first few days. And now she married someone who would  
eventually turn over his life to the same battlestar that she’d called  
home for six years. It wasn’t supposed to be this way…

“I’m sure you’ll do a good job as CAG,” she said quietly as she looked  
back up at him. “Just come home in one piece, all right?” Karl smiled  
softly and hugged her tightly.

“I promise, Kara. I’ll come home.”

President Lee Adama paced the living room of his apartments. It was  
nearing midnight but he couldn’t sleep. He was dressed in gray slacks, a  
white silk shirt and the gray dress socks he’d put on that morning for  
the funeral. His shoes were somewhere in the bedroom where he’d kicked  
them off when he’d gotten home. He stood in front of the large picture  
window and wished he knew what was keeping him from sleeping. Aside from  
his own worries about Kara and Karl, he was concerned about the future  
of Kobol. The remaining members of the original twelve colonies had all  
settled onto Kobol at the end of the war three years ago now. Everything  
was fairly peaceful here and the rebuilding of the planet was  
progressing. Galactica had made a couple of trips to Caprica to  
transplant technology and building materials so it wasn’t taking as long  
as it might have otherwise. Kobol City had been rebuilt fairly quickly.  
The Presidential offices, the hospital and the Academy had been the  
first three buildings to go up. Houses and other offices had followed at  
a steady pace as well. There was a small cabinet that assisted the  
President but for the most part, Lee was on his own.

He was just about to give up and try going to sleep when his phone  
buzzed. He walked over to the wall and picked up the handset.

“Adama here,” he said quietly.

“Sir, I’m sorry to bother you so late in the evening. This is Sgt.  
Halsing at the Academy.” Lee nodded, recognizing the name of the man who  
headed the marine division at the Academy.

“Yes, Sgt. What can I do for you this evening?”

“Actually, Sir, this isn’t an official call. I wouldn’t want to make it  
an official call if you catch my drift, Sir.” Lee closed his eyes and  
nodded to himself, waiting for the rest of what he knew was coming. “We  
found Major Agathon’s wife in his office here, Sir. It took two of my  
marines to subdue her. The place was a wreck and the Major’s wife wasn’t  
in much better shape, Sir.” Lee took a deep breath and tried to count  
away the anger in his mind.

“The Major’s wife is also a Major in her own right, Sgt, even if she is  
only teaching at the Academy.”

“Yes, Sir,” Sgt. Halsing answered quietly.

“Where is she, Sergeant? I’ll be down to collect her immediately.”

“She’s in the… well, you see, Sir, I wasn’t sure whether or not to let  
her go, or let her… that is to say, I…”

“Is she in the brig, Sergeant?” Lee was getting tired of this man very  
quickly.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Fine. I’ll be there in about five minutes. Is she awake?”

“No, Sir. She passed out about five minutes ago, Sir.” Lee didn’t even  
bother to answer the man. He hung up the phone and shook his head. He  
walked into his bedroom, found his shoes, slipped them on then walked  
out of his apartments. Two of his guards were standing just outside his  
door waiting for him.

“We’re headed for the Academy, gentlemen,” he told them as they walked  
down the hallway towards the stairs. “We’ll be picking up Major Thrace  
and bringing her back here. I would prefer we not let that become common  
knowledge, is that understood?” The two guards nodded and Lee was  
satisfied with that answer. He took the stairs down two at a time until  
they hit the main level of the building. He walked out into the lobby  
then out the front doors. The Academy was directly across the street. He  
entered the Academy, his guards almost running to keep up with him. Sgt.  
Halsing met him just inside the main entrance.

“Follow me, Sir,” he said quietly before turning and leading the men  
down the hallway towards the back of the Academy where the marine  
division had a small but sufficient brig and office. Lee walked into the  
small room and his heart almost broke at the sight of Kara, lying on the  
cot, behind the bars. Her face was streaked with dried tears and he knew  
she’d been drinking, probably ever since Karl had headed back to  
Galactica earlier that evening. The Sergeant opened the locked door and  
Lee walked inside the small holding cell. He knelt down next to the cot  
and brushed a lock of blond hair out of her face.

“Kara?” She didn’t even stir. He looked over his shoulder at his guards  
then back at Kara. “Kara?” There was still no answer. Lee sighed softly  
and slid his hands under her smaller body and lifted, coming up to a  
standing position with her in his arms. He turned and walked out of the  
holding cell as one of his guards came up to him.

“Do you want me to take her, Sir?” Lee shook his head and tightened his  
hold on her once more.

“Let’s just get back to the apartments with as little trouble as  
possible, please.” The guard nodded and took up a place just behind Lee  
as the other one moved in front of him. The three men walked out of the  
Academy and back to the Presidential building across the street. They  
took the elevator up this time to Lee’s apartments, Lee still holding  
the unconscious Kara in his arms tightly. Once inside the apartments,  
the guards stayed outside and Lee carried Kara into his room, setting  
her gently on the bed. He walked into the bathroom and got a towel, wet  
the end of it, then walked back into the bedroom and began trying to  
clean her face. After a moment, she moaned softly and tried to open her  
eyes.

“Shh, Kara. It’s Lee. You’re okay.” She slowly opened her eyes and tried  
to focus on him but couldn’t. “It’s okay. Just rest. Let me take care of  
everything else for right now.” Kara closed her eyes but the tears began  
to fall again. Lee put down the towel and undid the boots Kara was  
wearing and pulled them off, dropping them at the foot of the bed. She  
had been wearing her dress uniform at the funeral that morning. He undid  
the jacket and managed to get it off of her without much trouble,  
leaving her in a white t-shirt and the uniform pants. He brushed a hand  
across her face and she looked up at him. “Can you finish this on your  
own?” he asked quietly. She nodded and he turned and went into the  
bathroom, giving her some privacy. He pulled off the dress slacks and  
shirt and pulled on the black drawstring pants he slept in and pulled on  
a t-shirt before walking back out into bedroom. Kara had gotten the  
dress pants off and had left on the t-shirt and the black shorts she  
always wore underneath the uniform. Her back was to him and he could see  
her shaking a little. He slid into the bed and drew her into his arms,  
pulling a blanket up around them both. She turned and slid her arm  
across his chest, resting her head just against his shoulder. Lee sighed  
softly and held her tightly.

“Wanna talk about it?” he asked softly against the top of her head.

“He’s gone,” she whispered softly. “They’re both gone.” Lee nodded  
slowly. “I just couldn’t stand it. I saw what it did to your mother. I  
don’t want that.”

“I know, Kara. He’ll be back, though.” He has to come back, Lee thought.  
You won’t survive if he doesn’t.

“Thank you, Lee,” she whispered against his chest. Lee looked down at her.

“For what, Kara? I told you I’d always be here. I meant it. No matter  
what, I am here for you.” She snuggled closer and Lee held her tighter.  
After a few minutes, he noticed that her breathing had slowed and she  
was finally asleep. “I love you, Kara,” he whispered softly as he closed  
his eyes.

/(Part Two – Eight months later, on board Galactica)/

Karl “Helo” Agathon stood inside the hangar bay along side Colonel  
Kelley and Master Chief Tyrol. They were watching a couple of new pilots  
try to make a hard landing. It was something that Tyrol and Helo had  
decided the pilots needed to know how to do just in case there was ever  
another war. The two pilots out there right now weren’t doing so well.  
Helo finally shook his head.

“All right, Chief, get me out there and let’s see if I can’t get these  
guys home in one piece, hmm?” Tyrol chuckled and nodded.

“You got it, Sir.” They walked away from Colonel Kelley and headed for  
Helo’s Viper. Helo climbed up the ladder and strapped in as Tyrol handed  
him his helmet. “Wing them in, Major, and then get yourself back on this  
ship in one piece. You’re wife will hand me my walking papers if you  
don’t.” Helo nodded smiling softly. He missed Kara so damn much. Only  
one more month and they they’d be back in Kobol’s orbit and he’d be home.

“Set!” Helo called out, as Tyrol closed his cockpit and jumped clear of  
the Viper. The Viper turned and moved towards the shoot. Tyrol moved  
back over towards Colonel Kelley as Helo launched out of the flight bay  
and into space to go track down his pilots. There were three blips on  
the radar just as there should have been. Kelley turned on the COM box  
so they could hear everything going on.

“All right, nuggets, what’s going on out here?” That was Helo.

“Sorry, Sir, guess we’re just having some trouble with this landing.”  
That was Maverick, so named because he had a history of coming in a  
little hot and heavy on his landings.

“Well, do you think we could try doing this the right way just once?”  
That was Helo again.

“Yes, Sir. We’ll do our best.” That was Slider, so named because he had  
a history of sliding into the landing bay rather than actually landing.  
The three blips on the radar moved closer. Then they heard static for a  
moment followed by a loud popping noise.

“Slider, you okay?” Helo called out.

“Sir… something… right…” Slider was talking and coughing at the same  
time. Tyrol frowned. Something had happened to the Viper.

“Roger that, Slider. Stay calm. Maverick, land that Viper immediately.  
Galactica, CAG, come in.”

“Go ahead, CAG,” Kelley answered.

“Viper three-seven-four on approach. Have emergency crews ready to clear  
the deck. Viper three-seven-three heavy on emergency landing immediately  
following.”

“Copy that, CAG. Galactica out.” Kelley turned to Tyrol. “Get your crews  
ready, Chief. This isn’t going to be an easy landing.”

“Yes, Sir,” Tyrol answered. He took off and began yelling orders at his  
deck crew.

What happened in the next few minutes was such a blur of events that no  
one would ever be sure what set off the chain of events. Maverick’s  
Viper came in and landed a little on the hot side, but the mag locks  
came in place all the same. For whatever reason, Maverick’s Viper was  
still on the landing deck when Slider and Helo came in on emergency  
status. Slider’s Viper skipped off the deck one time then slammed into  
Maverick. The smoke from the explosion blinded Helo, whose Viper slammed  
into the other two Vipers causing an even larger explosion. The lift  
dropped out from under the wrecked planes causing them to slam into the  
flight deck, setting off yet another explosion.

“Set Condition One throughout the ship! All hands, set condition one  
throughout the ship!”

/(Kobol City, Presidential Offices)/

Lee was sitting at his desk in his office, finishing up the final budget  
reports that would go to his cabinet that afternoon, when a loud knock  
came at his door.

“Come in!” He yelled, really in no mood to be interrupted at the moment.  
He wanted to get the report finished so he could get over to the Academy  
and check on Kara. The last eight months had not been easy on her but  
she’d been holding up really well lately. She was giving a lecture today  
on fighting tactics used in wartime and he was interested to hear what  
she would have to say. He looked up to see one of his aides standing by  
the door and looking rather upset. “What’s happened?” The aide came  
forward and handed him a small videodisc. Lee turned and slipped the  
disc into his computer and it began to play.

“This message is for Colonial President, Lee Adama.” The man on the  
screen was Commander Gaeda, the commanding officer of the Galactica.  
“President Adama, at oh-nine-hundred hours Colonial Time, three Vipers  
were involved in a landing accident on board the Galactica. The accident  
also involved the flight deck as well as personnel. Galactica will be in  
Kobol’s orbit by the time you receive this message. We are plotting our  
FTL jump even now. As Commander of the Galactica, I would ask that you  
please meet with me on board Galactica before relaying this news or the  
casualty list with anyone. Galactica out.” The video ended and the  
printer began printing out the casualty list. Lee took it off the  
printer and began reading through it. His eyes rose for a moment to his  
aid. “Get my shuttle ready to rendezvous with Galactica immediately.”  
The aide nodded and rushed out of the office. Lee looked at the list  
once more. His day had suddenly just gotten a whole lot worse.

Three hours later, President Lee Adama’s shuttle docked with Galactica  
and Commander Gaeda met him in CIC. The two shook hands then Lee  
followed Gaeda into his office, closing the door behind them.

“What happened?” Lee asked as they sat down.

“Maverick and Slider, two of our newer pilots, were working on hard  
landings. Helo thought it was something they needed to know just in case  
we ever went to war again.” Lee nodded. Had he been in charge, he would  
have done the same. “We’re not sure when everything began to go wrong,  
but, there was an explosion inside Slider’s ship. Helo ordered Maverick  
to land and get below deck so he could bring Slider in. Maverick landed  
his Viper but the lift malfunctioned. Unfortunately, no one saw the  
malfunction. It never showed up on the screens. Moments later, after  
assuming Maverick was below deck, Helo guided Slider into the bay.  
Slider lost control and bounced off the flight deck once before slamming  
into Maverick’s Viper. Helo was unable to see anything through all the  
smoke and his Viper slammed into the other two Vipers. The lift finally  
gave way with all the weight on it and dropped into the flight bay,  
causing another explosion that took the lives of ten of our flight crew,  
including Master Chief Tyrol. After the emergency crews got the fires  
put out, we were able to recover the bodies of all who perished in the  
explosions.” Lee just sat there in silence for a moment. Cmdr. Gaeda,  
for outward appearances, was holding it together better than he’d  
thought he could, but Lee heard the tremor in his voice and knew how  
personal this was for the man. He remembered how elated everyone had  
been when Kara had first brought Helo home from Caprica so many years  
ago now. It had given them all a sense of hope. Now, Helo and Tyrol were  
gone along with a dozen more crewmembers. Lee dropped his head into his  
hands. How was he going to tell Kara? He looked back up at Gaeda quickly.

“What have you done about notifications?” Gaeda shook his head slowly.

“Nothing yet, Sir. I wanted to do those myself. It’s my ship. My  
command. Those men died on my watch. It’s my duty to inform their  
families. Sir, as President of the Colonies, you would have been  
informed anyway, but we served together for four years on this ship. I  
knew you’d want to know first hand all that had happened and I knew  
you’d probably want to be the one to inform Major Thrace.” Lee nodded  
slowly.

“Yes, Commander. I don’t think I would wish that duty on anyone else  
right now.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “When will you  
release the bodies for burial?”

“As soon as all families have been notified we will release the bodies  
to the proper authorities and have the bodies moved from here into the  
Academy chapel planet-side.” Lee nodded slowly.

“Very good, Commander.” He sighed heavily and then a thought came to  
mind. “Commander, Helo and Chief Tyrol both had children aboard ship.  
Where are they now?” Gaeda frowned for a moment then nodded as if  
remembering.

“Helo’s son has been placed in foster care per the Major’s will. Chief  
Tyrol’s foster daughter has been placed with Cally’s family for the time  
being, per the Chief’s wishes.” Lee nodded. He knew Kara had loved the  
little boy, but he also knew that she would be in no state of mind to  
care for the child. Apparently Helo had known the same thing as well.  
Lee stood slowly and Gaeda stood with him. They shook hands and then Lee  
raked a hand through his hair.

“I’ll leave you to it, Commander. I’ll be returning planet side and will  
visit Kara myself.” Gaeda reached into his pocket and pulled out an  
envelope, handing it to Lee. Lee looked at the envelope then back at  
Gaeda curiously.

“Helo’s tags, his Academy ring and his wedding band, Sir. I thought,  
perhaps, you should be the one to give them to her.” Lee nodded slowly.

“Thank you, Commander.” Lee slid the envelope into the inner pocket of  
his jacket then turned and walked out of the office and through the  
familiar hallways of a battleship that had played too many parts in his  
life now. There was too much history in this ship now for him to ever  
feel comfortable here again. He knew, too, that Kara would soon feel the  
same.

Kara walked through the front door of her house and dropped her  
briefcase on the floor as she closed the front door behind her. It had  
been a long day of teaching and lecturing at the Academy and she was  
more than ready to grab a quick meal and then sit in the tub for a very  
long time. She passed a picture on her way to the kitchen and touched  
her fingers to it in a silent prayer. It was a picture of Lee, Zak and  
their father, taken about a week before Zak’s death. She unbuttoned her  
uniform jacket and dropped it over the back of a kitchen chair before  
moving to the refrigerator. She thought back over her day and frowned  
slightly. Lee was supposed to have come to hear her lecture about  
fighting tactics in wartime situations but she didn’t recall seeing him  
in the lecture hall. She decided she would give him a call after she ate  
something. Kara was just in the middle of cutting up a tomato when there  
was a knock at her front door. She dried her hands off on a towel and  
walked to the front door, opening it.

“I must be psychic,” she said with a smile. “I was just thinking about  
you and here you are, right outside my front door.” She met his gaze and  
the smile faded. “What’s happened, Lee?” Lee stepped into the house and  
closed the door behind him. He reached out and took Kara’s hands in her  
own just as she started shaking her head. “No… oh gods, Lee. No…”

“Kara, there was an accident on Galactica. Helo… Helo was trying to  
bring in a couple of nuggets and there was an explosion. The three  
Vipers crashed into the landing bay. The lift they crashed on lost  
integrity and crashed down into the flight deck. The emergency crews  
were already there, but it was too late. I’m sorry, Kara. Karl died  
inside his Viper…” Kara kept shaking her head, kept trying to deny his  
words, but then the tears came and her body became racked with sobs. Lee  
drew her into his arms and held her, unable to do anything else for her.  
She cried for several minutes before finally taking a breath and looking  
up at him.

“Who else?” she asked quietly through the tears.

“We lost Chief Tyrol, 9 flight crew members, Maverick and Slider.” Kara  
had taught Maverick and Slider the previous year at the Academy. There  
loss would hurt as well, but not as much as losing Tyrol. And not ever  
as much as losing Helo. “Cmdr. Gaeda gave me something for you,” Lee  
said moving his hand into his pocket and pulling out the envelope,  
handing it to her. Kara took it and the tears started once more. Lee  
pulled her with him to the couch, sat down, and drew her into his lap,  
holding her once more.

“He promised me… he said he’d come home…” Lee closed his eyes tightly  
and just let her talk, let her cry, and just prayed that she’d come  
through this alive and still intact. “He promised…”

“I know, Kara,” Lee whispered softly. “I know.” Lee held her as she  
cried and he damned the man who had broken more than one vow to the  
woman in his arms. Helo had vowed to come home and he hadn’t. Helo had  
vowed to love and protect Kara all of his life and he hadn’t. Life was  
all about vows: those that were kept and those that were broken. Lee  
knew it would be a long time before he ever broke another vow to the  
woman he loved…

 

 


End file.
